Major response to fire at sea exercise
An emergency services test named ‘ Exercise Piran’ , took place last month to put local response teams through their paces. This involved both the Brittany Ferries ship ‘ MV Armorique’ playing its part by reporting a ‘ fire’ via a distress call on VHF radio and a team of quite extraordinary volunteers.
The exercise, which took place between Roscoff and Plymouth, deployed the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) by British Royal Navy helicopter to a seagoing vessel (in this case, the MV Armorique). Composed of volunteers, the fifteen MIRG teams which provide cover for the United Kingdom’s coastline, have to be ready to fly inside 60 minutes to incidents that might involve fires, hazardous materials or industrial accidents.
In addition to learning practical ship firefighting, these teams are trained in water sea survival, helicopter underwater escape, helicopter operations, winching and use of the extensive equipment provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and fire services specifically for the MIRG.
Organisations involved included the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Brixham MRCC, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, and Brittany Ferries.
Peter Davies, rescue co-ordination centre manager at HM Coastguard Brixham said that the exercise ensured that the local MIRG teams gained ‘valuable experience and information to ensure training objectives are achieved and skillsets are maintained to a high level’. It was also noted that the 15 MIRG teams, set up from the original ‘Sea of Change’ project, means that the UK has the world’s most advanced procedures and plans for firefighting at sea.
